Medium-haul jet A321neo
Airbus receives major order for 255 jets
Airbus wins a major order for the A321neo medium-haul jet. Photo: Ben Birchall / PA Wire / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Corona has also hit the airlines hard. But now they want to position themselves for the time after the pandemic. Airbus is now benefiting from this.
The aircraft manufacturer Airbus received an order for 255 medium-haul jets with its first major order since the beginning of the corona pandemic.
The order for the machines from the A321neo series comes from the US company Indigo Partners on behalf of four low-cost airlines. Those involved signed the order on Sunday at the air show in Dubai, as Airbus announced. The order is a clear signal of recovery in the aviation industry nearly two years after the pandemic broke out.
The four lines Wizz Air (Hungary), Frontier (USA), Volaris (Mexico) and Jetsmart (Chile / Argentina) have “acted quickly and decisively in recent months to position themselves for this groundbreaking order,” said Airbus sales director Christian Scherer. At the same time, “the consequences of the pandemic would subside” and the world wanted to fly more sustainably again.
Worldwide restrictions for travelers had almost completely paralyzed international tourism in many countries and thus also hit airlines and manufacturers hard. However, demand is currently picking up again, also with a view to the increasing number of corona vaccinations and a gradual normalization when traveling. The US aircraft manufacturer and Airbus rival Boeing had predicted growing demand over the next two decades in September.
Airbus did not disclose the order value. The aircraft manufacturer had published a price list in 2018, according to which the order would have a value of around 29 billion euros.